On November 30, 2016, HUD announced that it was issuing a final rule to make all public housing smoke-free. The rule covers cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and water pipes/hookahs, but not e-cigarettes, and covers living units, indoor common areas, administrative offices, and all outdoor areas within 25 feet of housing and office buildings. The rule will …
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SkyHouse Apartments Settle Fair Housing Cases for $1.8 million: Money to help make homes more accessible for people with disabilities
On September 26, 2016, Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC) announced that it had settled housing discrimination complaints against the architects, builders and owners of the SkyHouse apartment buildings in Raleigh, Charlotte, and eight cities in other states. The complaints, which were filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), alleged that …
HUD Issues Final Rule to Ensure Equal Access to Housing & Services Based on Gender Identity
On September 21, 2016, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued a final rule designed to ensure equal access to individuals in accordance with their gender identity in programs and shelters receiving certain HUD funding. The rule requires that operators of single-sex shelters and other projects that receive funds from HUD’s Office of …
HUD Announces Rule Regarding Harassment in Housing & Protections For Domestic Violence Victims
On September 14, 2016, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued a final rule setting out legal standards under the Fair Housing Act for sexual and other forms of harassment in housing. HUD and courts have long held that harassment in housing or housing-related transactions on the basis of race, color, national …
HUD, HHS, DOJ Issue Joint Letter re Immigrant Access to Housing & Services
On August 5, 2016, the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), issued a joint letter regarding immigrant access to housing and services. The letter reminds recipients of federal funds that certain housing and services, such as emergency …
Fidelity Bank Agrees to Invest $1 Million to Settle Discrimination Complaint
On April 22, 2016, the Fair Housing Project of Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC) announced that it had settled a fair housing complaint it had brought against North Carolina-based The Fidelity Bank. The complaint, which had been filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), had alleged that African American prospective borrowers …
HUD Issues Guidance on Criminal History and Fair Housing
On April 4, 2016, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued guidance on “how the Fair Housing Act applies to the use of criminal history by providers or operators of housing and real-estate related transactions.” The guidance, issued by HUD’s Office of General Counsel, concludes that while the Fair Housing Act does …
Registration Now Open for April 15, 2016, Raleigh Fair Housing Conference
Registration is now open for the 13th Annual Fair Housing Conference in Raleigh, NC, which will be held on Friday, April 15, 2016. The event is being sponsored by the City of Raleigh Fair Housing Hearing Board and the Fair Housing Project of Legal Aid of North Carolina. The keynote speaker at the conference will be …
Annual Raleigh Fair Housing Conference Scheduled for April 15, 2016
On Friday, April 15, 2016, the City of Raleigh Fair Housing Hearing Board and the Fair Housing Project of Legal Aid of North Carolina will sponsor the 13th Annual Fair Housing Conference. The keynote speaker at the conference will be civil rights attorney John Relman, one of the nation’s foremost fair housing and civil rights …
HUD Releases Fair Housing Assessment Tool for Local & State Governments
On December 31, 2015, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the approval of the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Assessment Tool, as well as the availability of number of documents related to the AFFH final regulation issued in July 2015. The Assessment Tool, which includes instructions and nationally-uniform data provided by …